The Summons
by Starfire072302
Summary: When Lucy is dared to try and summon a demon, she gets results she never expected. She is thrown into a whirlwind of secrets about her own past she never even knew about and something much bigger than she could ever begin to imagine. (Nalu)
1. Chapter 1

_**I do not know where this came from but It's a thing now. I will update Hangman's forest soon. This is slightly inspired by the story Samhain by Mslead.**_

 _ **Merry Christmas, also!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**_

* * *

How does one summon a demon?

Lucy didn't know. She'd never attempted it before, nor even thought of doing it before _this._ In her attic.

All she knew was that on a dare, she'd drawn that stupid pentagram, lit some candles, and used google to find a chant in latin about something unholy on a witchcraft website with the papyrus font as its main title. She didn't even know if she'd pronounced it right. She'd drawn the circle with some chalk Levy had given her, (wherever she had obtained _that_ Lucy didn't know), drawn some symbols from the witchcraft website, and lit some candles.

Lucy didn't expect it to work. She expected to chant the words in latin, for nothing to happen, and then to go back to her game and laugh it all off.

But, despite her probable inaccuracies, here he sat.

The apparent demon she'd summoned had a shock of pink hair standing up in all directions. His skin was tan and toned, his shoulders broad. His face was handsome with sharp features. His eyes were a deep scarlet. A pair of horns curled out of his hair, their points shining wickedly in the candlelight.

He had a scarf wound around his neck with a scale like pattern, and was wearing a tight black shirt with a high collar and no sleeves. He wore white pants with a sort of puff at the bottom, which were held down with black strips of fabric, tied neatly. Black sandals were on his feet.

Lucy made an incoherent noise, and the creature in the circle raised its eyebrows.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Lucy stammered, and the creature looked confused.

"Whad'ya mean? You're the sorceress who summoned me." He shifted into a cross-legged position, resting his elbow on his knee, using his hand to prop up his chin.

Lucy gawked at him, " _Summoned you? Sorceress?_ "

"Yes, that's what I said. Now that I'm here, wha'dya want?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Nothing. I didn't expect this to work. This was an accident."

"I've never understood you humans. You can't just accidentally summon a demon. You gotta want something." The demon rose to his feet, stalking over to her. He was about four or five inches taller than her, and she had to look up to see his face. He crossed his arms, leaning against one of the support beams in the room.

"I don't! I was dared!" Lucy said quickly, and the demon laughed.

"Dared? Don't make me laugh. What fool dared you to use your magic to summon a demon? You sorceresses are getting dumber and dumber?"

"I didn't think it was a real thing!" Lucy's breath quickened, "I don't even believe in demons! I'm not a sorceress!"

"Sorceress or not, blondie, there's one standin' right in front a' ya. Ya sure did something with magic to get me here." He gestured to himself.

"You're a _demon?_ " Lucy stammered.

"Didn't ya figure that out by now?" The demon chuckled, "Silly human. Yes, I'm a demon. Demon lord, to be more exact."

"What's your name?" Lucy said, "If I summoned you, I would like to know that much."

"Etherious Natsu Dragneel," the demon said, "or E.N.D. for short, but call me Natsu. It's more casual. What's your name?"

"Um," Lucy's eyes were unsure, "should I really give my name to a demon?"

"That's fair, but I'm not as violent as my brothers are. I do like to light things on fire, though." Natsu grinned, and Lucy noticed he had fangs, wickedly sharp as his horns.

"Lucy." Lucy said, "It's Lucy."

A moment of silence.

"What do I do now?" Lucy squeaked.

"Make a deal with me."

Lucy waved her arms in exasperation. "I don't want anything!"

"Then send me back," Natsu shrugged, "though that's kind of a waste."

Lucy's face was pink, her mouth small and tight. "Can't you send yourself back?"

Well, _technically._ Her magic was of considerable strength, so breaking the bind would be a bit tiring, but he could do it. But she'd meddled with dangerous forces, sorceress or no. It spelled trouble with a capital 'T' if he left now. Without her knowing how to properly end the bond, his departure would leave a gaping hole through which anything could waltz through. And the first thing they'd smell would be her.

Besides, it had been a while since he'd been summoned to the human world. He like humans, they were gullible and soft, fun to toy with. And she really did need a reason to summon him, something eating away at her as she chanted the words for his summons. It might be fun to find out what it was.

"I could," Natsu said finally, "but no. I'll stay around for a while."

"What?!"

"I gotta talk to this person who told you to summon a demon."

"No!" Lucy stepped in front of the door, spreading her arms to block the exit, "leave her out of this! She didn't think this would work either."

"It's cute that you think you can block me."

"You'll terrify my friends!" Lucy cried.

"You have _friends_ here? You really are stupid." His tone was sharp, eyes dangerous, "if you'd summoned a demon with more violent tendencies, you and all your friends would have been slaughtered in a heartbeat."

Lucy gave him a wobbly smile. "Can you stay here? I need to talk to my friends."

"Not a good idea." Natsu said, "The less people know about me, the better."

"Can I tell one?"

"Can they be trusted?"

"I'd trust her with my life. Now promise you'll stay in this attic until I return."

 _Damn_ she'd gotten him with that. When demons made promises, they kept them. He sighed. "You have my word."

* * *

Lucy's heart was hammering in her chest as she walked down the attic stairs and back to her bedroom. Her friends were all laying in various positions on the floor, blankets laid out. A half empty bottle of wine was sitting at the foot of the bed.

It was a girls night. The roads had been closed due to a snowstorm, so it had been Mirajane's idea to hold the night at Lucy's house. So they'd come over, each bringing something to eat or drink. Levy brought brownies she and her husband had baked, Juvia brought wine, Mirajane brought cookies she'd baked with her sister, Erza brought strawberry cake, and Cana brought a couple bottles of whisky.

After Erza had had a few too many shots of whisky, she'd suggested truth or dare as a game to play. Cana had given Erza the choice of truth or dare, and she chose truth, as she'd chosen dare every other time. Cana asked wether Erza would rather sleep with a demon or an angel, and Erza had answered with the demon. The talk of demons led Cana to dare Lucy to go try to summon a demon. The woman was constantly tipsy, so Lucy didn't know if she was completely sober when she asked her to do that. But regardless, because she _didn't think it would work,_ she accepted it. Levy gave her the chalk, Lucy found some candles in a drawer, and she took her laptop with her to do it properly.

And now _this_ had happened.

"Lu!" Levy called, turning to her side. "Welcome back, you took a while."

Lucy didn't say anything, just gestured to Levy and to the door.

Levy followed.

When they were outside the room, Lucy stepped into the hall bathroom and closed the door after them. She flipped on the light.

"Lu? Are you okay? You're really pale." Levy stepped close, raising a hand to feel her friend's forehead.

Lucy's voice was tiny when she finally spoke. "It worked."

Levy cocked an eyebrow, "what worked?"

"The summons. It worked."

Levy's face morphed from puzzlement to disbelief, _"What?!"_

"There's a demon in my attic." Lucy said, her tone high and thin.

"Lucy, please start from the beginning. You have to tell me what happened."

Lucy took several deep breaths to soother her lightheadedness. "I drew the circle with the chalk, lit some candles, added some random-ass symbols from some site I found, and chanted in some gobbledygook in Latin. I didn't expect it to work, but there he was."

"There's a demon... Lucy this is insane."

Tears beaded in the corners of Lucy's eyes. "It's true."

Levy's expression was serious, she didn't meed Lucy's eyes. She began pacing around the small room. "This is bad. I _knew_ this was a bad idea, I'm so stupid for not stopping Cana. I didn't think it would work. I didn't think you were the one."

Lucy blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Levy rubbed her temples. "Lucy, There's a lot I need to tell you. Everyone needs to go home _now._ Go tell everyone you need to go to bed. Mira will drive Erza and Cana home and Juvia will be fine. If she needs help, she can call her boyfriend. Go. And meet me here when you come back."

Lucy nodded mutely, exiting the room and going back to the bedroom.

What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

 _ **Oops. I did it again.**_

 _ **This was supposed to be a one shot? What is wrong with me?**_

 _ **Now I'm intrigued. I have many ideas for this. Okay, this is going to be multi-chaptered now. Let's do this. Stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Well this is happening now. Let's do this. I'm intrigued. But I still don't think this story is all that good.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

* * *

Lucy mutely delivered Levy's message, and Mira gave her a strange look, but managed to haul Cana and Erza out of the room. Erza, who was hammered by this point, was shouting something about how she could sneeze with her eyes open. Cana had sobered up a bit, and was helping Mira.

Juvia called her boyfriend, Gray, to tell him that she was headed home and that Mira would drop her off. After Mira had loaded Erza and Cana into the car, the former clinging to the strawberry cake she'd brought and growling whenever someone came near, she came back inside.

"Lucy, is everything okay?" Mira's face was soft, and she put a mitten-covered hand on Lucy's shoulder, squeezing.

Lucy nodded quickly, keeping her face blank. "Yeah. Everything is fine."

Mirajane hugged her friend quickly, rushing out to her car. Erza was attempting to crawl out the window. Mira shoved her back inside and Lucy could hear Erza's shout of rage over the wind.

Her friends pulled out.

Now to go back to Levy.

When Lucy returned inside, hanging her coat on the peg beside the door, she found her best friend sitting on the couch, her legs tucked under her.

"Lu, sit down."

"Levy, what is this? What are you talking about? Wh-"

Levy cut her off with a desperate expression. She cast her gaze downward, twisting her wedding ring around her finger anxiously.

"Lucy, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Lucy said quietly, her voice quivering.

"What happened her tonight was bad. I wasn't supposed to tell you _anything_ until I was sure, but this confirms it."

"What do you mean?"

"Did the demon you summoned mention a sorceress?" Levy asked, her gaze careful.

"Yeah, he said something like 'you're the sorceress who summoned me.'"

Levy shifted, as if she were choosing her next words carefully. Lucy could feel a cold weight pressing down on her lungs, filling her with dread. Levy's face was unreadable. Lucy looked out the window, the falling snow a sharp contrast to the night outside. It had gathered on the windowsill in a pillow, flakes sticking on the screen outside the glass. Frost was painted against the glass's surface. Levy finally spoke again, her voice strained.

"Lucy, what if I told you that sorcery was real?"

Lucy chewed her lip, "I wouldn't know what to think. I mean, I've never believed in magic. It's kid stuff, right?" The blonde looked at Levy with a playful smile on her face, hoping this was all some big joke, but her best friend's face was grim. The smile melted away. "I-is it real?"

"Yes," Levy said, "And I'm one of its users."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat, and she coughed violently. Levy motioned to stand, but Lucy waved a hand to keep her seated. "Y-you're _what?_ "

"I'm a sorceress. A wielder of magic. A witch, if you want to be less formal." Levy sighed, wringing her hands, "Lucy, you know how my husband and I moved here a few years ago?"

"Yes," Lucy said softly, her breath heavy,

"We were sent here for a reason. That reason was because the magic society detected a substantial level of magic power in this region. You turned twenty-one the year we moved, and we arrived just after your birthday, do you remember?"

"Yes."

"A sorceress or sorcerer's powers become more prominent at age twenty-one. But it's a large city, there are many people in Magnolia who probably had a birthday. We weren't sure," Levy finally looked up, her eyes locking with Lucy's. "Gajeel and I were sent here to find that person."

Lucy's thoughts were going about a million miles an hour. "Have you been pretending to be my friend this whole time?"

Levy's face crumpled. "Oh, Lu, of course not. You're my best friend. I knew there may be a possibility that it was you, but I wanted friends, too. I made a good choice choosing you as my friend."

"Are you and Gajeel actually married?"

Levy nodded, "Yes, Gajeel and I are actually married. We got married about a year before we moved here."

"And you think I'm..."

"Yes, Lu. I think you're the sorceress. That, or you have some fae or elf blood."

Lucy began breathing heavily, her head in her hands. She suddenly felt Levy's hand on her shoulder, stroking in slow circles with her thumb. "It's gonna be okay. Deep breaths, don't hyperventilate."

Levy's footsteps faded away, and then returned. Lucy looked up, and Levy was handing her a glass of water. Lucy took it with shaking hands, drinking fast.

Then, she began to cry. Loud, gasping sobs, wailing and pitiful. Levy pulled her friend into her arms, allowing her to cry into her shoulder.

"There's a demon in my attic," Lucy managed to choke.

"I know, Lu. What is his name?"

"He said it was something like Etherious Natsu Dragneel"

"Do you want me to go talk to him?"

Lucy nodded. Levy sat with her until her sobs had quelled, then ascended up the stairs into the attic.

* * *

The air smelled thickly of residual energy and the jasmine candles Lucy had burned during the summoning. The faint smell of sulfur got thicker as she reached the door to the attic, the mark of a demonic summoning. Levy opened the door, and in the corner she saw him. The smell of sulfur was stronger here, but beginning to fade some.

He was standing up, arms crossed over his chest. Levy looked him up and down. Pink hair, which she'd never seen on a demon before, and the horns were a dead giveaway. He looked at her, opening his mouth to speak.

"You ain't Lucy."

"No," said Levy, "I'm Levy. And you need to leave."

"No way in hell."

"You'll do as I tell you," Levy said, copying her husband's hostile tone when he talked to incompetent people.

The demon wolf whistled. "Looks like ya got a bite. Why do I gotta listen to you, little sorceress?"

"Because this summons was not intentional. Lucy knew nothing about her magic before you showed up."

"Really?" the demon chuckled, "Nothing? She's sure as hell got a substantial amount of power. And I can't leave yet."

"And why is that," Levy sighed.

"Because my leaving would be breaking the bond that was cast when she summoned me. Unless she truly wants me gone, I'm not goin' anywhere." He shrugged, "and besides, if I leave without a proper dismissal, it'll tear open a hold between realms and all hell will break loose, no pun intended."

Levy considered this, biting the inside of her cheek. That _was_ true. One tine a newer sorceress performed her first summons and didn't properly close the gate. The demon killed her and every person in the room. It took about three powerful wizards to contain it and close the gate. She hated to admit it, but he had a point.

Levy looked at the circle. It was drawn in chalk, not very neatly, and the symbols seemed to be in place. But wait. No, they weren't correct.

One of the symbols was wrong. The symbol for sulfur had one too many lines at the top and the symbol for chaos needed one more line. Levy's expression morphed into confusion. The demon standing before her gave her a quizzical look.

"This pentacle shouldn't have worked." Levy said, and she picked the chalk up from where Lucy had put it on the floor beside one of the candles. "The symbols for sulfur and chaos are drawn incorrectly. How did you get here?"

"Eh?" The demon pushed off the wall, kneeling beside Levy to see for himself.

"You're right."

"Your name is Etherious Natsu Dragneel?" Levy said, and the demon nodded. "Okay, Natsu. This means Lucy drew the pentacle, but someone helped her complete it. This means that until we find out who that person is, we won't be able to send you back."

"I know how to summon a demon, seeing as I am one," Natsu scoffed, "You know as well as I do that if two people summon a demon, they both have to be present to send it back."

"It would have to be someone near by," Levy put her head in her hands. "This is really, really bad."

Levy stood, drawing her phone from her pocket.

"The hell is that?" Natsu asked, and Levy didn't answer.

"I need to call my husband."

* * *

 _ **I'm not too sure about the quality of this story. Please review and tell me what you think! Stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay,** _ **this is getting more fun to write. Let's continue.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**_

* * *

The phone rang for a few seconds before Gajeel's voice sounded on the other end. "Lev?"

"Gajeel thank God you picked up," Levy rolled her eyes at the demon behind her, who fake gagged at the mention of the Christian God.

"What's up, babe?"

"I found her. The sorceress."

Levy heard a rustling noise on the other end, probably her husband standing up, "You found her? Who is she?"

"Lucy."

" _Bunny girl?_ I mean, I had my suspicions, but I never thought it would be her."

"Yeah," Levy's voice shook, "and something bad happened."

"What happened?"

"Cana dared Lucy to summon a demon. And long story short, it worked."

"You have to be kiddin' me."

Levy shook her head, though Gajeel couldn't see her do so on the other end. "I wish I was. But no. And she can't send him back. She doesn't know how."

Gajeel was quiet for a long time before speaking again. "Lev, this is bad."

"That isn't the whole thing. I realized that the circle was incorrect. Someone helped her complete this summoning. Unless we find that person, it will be impossible to send this demon back."

"Oh God. Levy, I'm comin' over there."

"No, no," Levy said, her tone sharp, "It's snowing like crazy out there, you aren't driving _anywhere._ "

"Then I'll walk."

"Fine. Drive. But go slow. It's good that the road to Lucy's house from where we live isn't blocked. Call me when you get in the car."

"M'kay. I'll be right over."

He hung up.

Levy's hand dropped to her side, and she sighed.

"What's that box thing yer holdin'?"

Levy looked up, and it took her a second to realize he meant her phone. "Oh this? It's a cellphone. We can use them to talk to each other really long distances away."

The phone rang again before Natsu could say anything else. Levy picked up and put it to her ear.

"I'm in the car, Lev. Now tell me more about this."

Levy sighed. "The demon himself said she had a substantial amount of magic power. If he knows that, so will every abnormal creature in a hundred mile radius."

Levy went pale with a sudden realization. "And since she didn't do the circle correctly, even though she was helped, things could get through. Gajeel, this is going to go crazy. Did you get the gear?"

"Yeah, it's in the back. I always bring it in these situations."

"Right, good."

"I'm turnin 'the corner. I'll be inside in a second."

He hung up, and Levy pocketed her phone.

"You," she said to the demon, "stay here."

"Dammit. This again? It's so boring up here."

"Deal with it." Levy stalked out of the attic and down the stairs.

* * *

There was a knock at the door. Still sniffly, Lucy stood up, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. She opened the door to reveal Gajeel, Levy's husband. Gajeel was a mountain of a man with long jet black hair and piercings lining his face. His body was broad and burly, and for some reason his eyes were red. He was dressed in a black parka and hiking boots, a briefcase in his gloved hand. He was the polar opposite of his tiny wife, but they somehow worked so well.

"Bunny girl? You okay?" Gajeel's usually stoic face showed a small level of concern. Lucy managed a nod.

"Where's Levy?"

"Upstairs," Lucy looked at Gajeel desperately, "what is this? What is going on?"

Gajeel sighed as he shed his coat, hanging it on a peg beside the door. He stomped the snow off of his boots, pulling off his gloves. On his left hand was a thick silver ring.

"Lucy, Lev and I aren't exactly your average people. We use-"

"Sorcery, I know." Lucy interrupted, and Gajeel nodded.

"Levy already explained? That's good. But there's more to it than that. Levy and I don't just use magic, we regulate it."

Lucy blinked. "What...?"

"We make sure that people don't break magic laws. We clean up after careless sorcerers when spells go wrong. We get rid a' whatevers left. That usually entails creatures. Monsters, et cetera."

"Oh," Lucy managed. "You're like monster hunters?"

Gajeel shrugged lazily, "If you wanna put it like that. We're more like monster animal control."

Lucy bit her lip, her nerves singing. "So did you, like study monsters in whatever training you had?"

"Yeah, it's where I met my wife."

"What about this demon?"

"That demon is a bit harder. We don't know how he got here. Lucy, your circle was incorrectly drawn. He shouldn't have even appeared. Someone helped ya, and we can't send 'im back until we find out who. And why. But he's under contract with you now, so he does as you say."

Lucy looked at Gajeel bewildered. "I have a demon under my command?"

"Yes," Gajeel said, and would have said more if his wife hadn't come downstairs. He turned to her.

"Lev, anything to say about the demon?" Gajeel pulled his wife to him, and she rested her head against his chest.

"You studied demons more throughly than I did, so maybe you'll make more sense of this than I can," she looked up at her husband, "he said his name is END. The curl of his horns tell me he's a fire demon."

"The name not so much, it's ringing some bells, though. I do know that the fire demons are at the top of the food chain down in ole' fire and brimstone, though."

Lucy grew pale. "What does that mean?"

Gajeel turned his gaze to her, "It means you've basically got a demon prince under contract. He's yours to command. But this makes things more serious. If we have who I think we have, our realm will be full of otherworldly critters tryin' to either kill him or take him back to Hell."

Lucy waved her arms frantically. "And what creatures do you mean?"

"Succubi and Incubi, other demons, devils, the works. And also angels, the creatures of heaven. Hopefully we won't run into any archangels."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "and how many demons are there?"

"Well, ya got the demons in religion. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hindu, you know the ones. Demons like Satan, Judas, Lucifer, Antichrist, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, the famous ones. But then there are the underlings. The 'citizens' of Hell if ya must. And their numbers go up into the millions."

Lucy's brain was about a nudge away from completely imploding. She sunk down onto the floor, putting her head between her hands.

Levy's voice sounded, and from Lucy's panicked state, her voice sounded very far away. "Gajeel, you gotta be a bit gentler."

"What? I'm just telling it like it is, Lev. She has a right to know!"

"Yes, but she'd been through enough."

Lucy shook her head slowly, rising to her feet. "No, I'm okay, I think."

Levy took her hand, squeezing it. "Lucy, we need to leave the house. You need to pack."

Lucy looked around frantically. "What? Why?"

"Because a demon of END's ranking and power being summoned is not something easily ignored. It's going to attract attention. It isn't safe." Levy stroked her friend's cheek. "They to understand."

Lucy nodded mutely. "I... Can do that now."

"Good," Levy smiled, "You better go get the demon first, though."

"He needs to come?" Lucy could feel tears prickle her eyes again.

"Yes, Lu. It's too dangerous not to take him."

Lucy's breath shook as she turned and climbed the stairs.

Little did she know, this journey would change her entire life.

* * *

 _ **Merry Christmas everyone! Okay, this story is going in directions I don't understand. I'm asking you guys to tell me what you think of it so far in the reviews so I can get a better grip on how this will work. Stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**This will be fun! Time for spooky adventures!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

* * *

Lucy was now in the back seat of Levy and Gajeel's car, her suitcase in the trunk and the demon she'd summoned sitting in the seat beside her. He'd put on a parka that Gajeel had grabbed and a pair of jeans. None of Gajeel's had fit him, so they'd stopped by a second-hand store and bought a pair there. He was now wearing a pair of boots too, made of brown leather, also bought from the aforementioned second-hand store. He'd made his horns disappear, leaving him looking human enough. His fangs and scarlet eyes remained, though.

Lucy gazed out the window with a glassy-eyed stare, watching the drifts of white pass her vision. Levy attempted to make small-talk, especially with Lucy, but it was lost when the blonde didn't respond. The demon beside her stared out the window as well, facing the opposite direction. She wrapped her coat more tightly around her, tucking her nose into her scarf. Gajeel switched on the radio, soft jazz filling the car. Lucy never pegged him as a jazz lover. From Gajeel's appearance, she'd expect him to be more of a rock music lover. But alas, looks can be deceiving. Gajeel hummed along as the music played, and Levy was doing something on her phone, having given up on conversation making.

Lucy desperately wanted to call Mirajane, but Levy told her that telling others her location wasn't the best idea. She tapped at the phone's screen, fiddling with a game. Natsu watched over her shoulder curiously. He asked the occasional answer, lucy giving short answers. She opened 'Cut The Rope', as she owned the full version, beginning to play.

"What's the objective of this?" Natsu asked, raising his eyebrows.

"you cut the rope and try to get the candy to the monster below. He eats it, then you move on to the next level." Lucy explained, cutting the rope and allowing the candy to fall into the monster's waiting mouth. She allowed herself a celebratory grin, tapping the next arrow.

"Can I try?" Natsu asked, much to Lucy's surprise. She nodded, passing the phone to him.

He tapped the screen, flinching back when it responded to his touch.

"You drag your finger across the rope and it breaks." Lucy demonstrated, and the candy fell, not landing in the monster's mouth. The level failed and started over.

Natsu did as she did, grinning in triumph when the candy landed where it was supposed to this time. His face told Lucy he was entrapped, and she giggled.

"What's so funny?" Natsu asked indignantly, crossing his arms.

Lucy smiled. "Nothing, I just got a demon to play Cut the Rope."

"It's fun! I can do what I want!"

Lucy patted his arm, plucking the phone from his hand. "It sure is."

The pair played for a while, alternating between levels and passing the phone from person to person.

Or from person to demon, seeing as Natsu wasn't human at all. Whichever worked, Lucy supposed.

Lucy was in the middle of trying to beat a particularly hard level, Natsu muttering mostly unhelpful suggestions over her shoulder when the car suddenly jerked forward, the speed sharply increasing.

Levy jerked forward along with Natsu and Lucy, the latter's head slamming painfully into the seat in front of her.

Levy's own head would have hit the dash if her seatbelt wasn't on, and she shot an annoyed look to her husband.

"Babe, are you trying to get us killed? That was dangerous! You need to be more care-"

"We're being tailed," Gajeel said quickly, cutting Levy off. His eyes didn't move from the road, he just stared straight ahead.

Levy glanced back at Natsu and Lucy, the blonde girl rubbing the sore spot on her head where it had made contact with the seat. Natsu and Lucy had resumed their game, and Levy lifted her eyes to the back window, her breath catching. It wasn't a car that was tailing them. It was a creature. It was a coyote, but its legs were much too long, and the way it moved was unnatural. Its eyes were sharp and intelligent, deep yellow in color. It opened its mouth, a shriek that was far from human tearing forth, and Levy could see now that its teeth seemed much too long to fit comfortably in its mouth.

And it was gaining on them.

"Can you see what it is, Lev?" Gajeel hissed, his eyes staying on the road.

"Yeah," Levy said, her eyes locked on the creature.

"And? What is it?"

Levy gulped. "It's a skinwalker."

"Oh no," Gajeel muttered, "Lev, the salt gun is in the glove box. Grab it now. I didn't think they would pick up the scent this fast."

Levy nodded, taking a few quick breaths to regain her composure, drawing the gun. She jammed some salt pellets into the chamber, loading it.

"Levy? What's going on?" Lucy asked, her voice shaking. Levy didn't answer right away her eyes locked on the creature tailing the car. It was closer now, its far too large fangs bared.

"Lucy, do not look behind you. No matter what." Levy warned, pressing the gun against her chest.

Natsu sniffed the air. "I smell salt. Damn, I hate that smell. Where's it coming from?"

Lucy shrugged. "It's something humans eat on food."

"I know that, idiot," he rolled his eyes, "the stuff doesn't sit well with me, or demons in general."

"Oh, to hell with it!" Gajeel cried, "we're being tailed."

Lucy's voice came out in a terrified squeak. "What...?"

Well, if they weren't being subtle anymore...

"Gajeel," Levy called, "I need white ash and regular bullets, not salt. The only way to kill a skinwalker is with white ash. Now, where did you put the white ash?"

"Dammit." Gajeel hissed, slamming his palm on the steering wheel.

"What?" Levy asked, her voice sharp.

"The ash is in the back, between the seats. I think it's in the center compartment."

"Why didn't you put it somewhere easier to access?"

Gajeel pinched the bridge of his nose, "we don't often run into skinwalkers, Lev! I didn't think we'd need it!"

Levy sighed, slamming the salt gun down and drawing a pistol from the glovebox, it was stored with the salt gun. Levy dumped a few bullets into her lap, and she turned to Lucy.

"Lu, that compartment beside you, open it and take that Altoids tin out. Give it to me."

Lucy hurriedly hit the release button on the compartment, and it swung open. She dug through several charger cords and until her fingers met the cool metal of the tin. She shoved it into Levy's waiting hand, and she pried it open, rolling the bullets in the ash and loading them into the gun.

"Gajeel, I can't hit it with it behind us."

"Good thing it's not behind us."

Levy's eyes grew in size. "Well, where is it? Is it gone?"

"Levy, look to your right."

Levy slowly turned her head, and her eyes locked with the creature, who was keeping perfect pace with the car. "Oh," she said quietly.

"Levy, what the hell is that thing?!" Lucy cried, her face ashen.

"It's a skinwalker, bunny girl," Gajeel answered instead, "they're Navajo witch doctors. They're pure evil. I don't think I've ever seen one this far north."

"Gajeel, I can't shoot without it attacking."

"Then do it fast!" Gajeel's grip was tight on the steering wheel, his eyes focused on the road.

Levy waved the hand not occupied by the gun frantically. "That's easier said than done. I once encountered a skinwalker in Arizona, and those things can pounce pretty fast."

"Don't you think I know that? That's why I'm tellin ya to shoot fast!"

Levy ran a hand through her hair, turning back to the skinwalker, who hadn't moved. it just stared back at her with an eerie grin on its face. Levy brought her finger to the button to bring the window down, and the creature looked up at the top of the window and back to Levy, it's grin increasing in size. A grinning coyote. That wasn't something you saw every day.

"Here goes nothing..." Levy muttered.

She rolled down the window, the skinwalker's muscles tensing in preparation to lunge, and before Lucy or anyone in the car could even blink, the gun went off, and the skinwalker blasted back, an earsplitting shriek shattering through the air. It slammed into a group of trees beside the road, crimson liquid splattering the trees and dying the snow.

Gajeel stopped the car as the skinwalker limped back up, its wounded whimper sounding like a cross between human and animal. It sent shivers of fear through Lucy's body. The shock of the sudden break slammed Lucy and Natsu back in the seat.

Levy leaned halfway out the window, and as the skinwalker stood on shaky legs. Blood stained the front of its chest, dying the fur deep red. It took Lucy a second of fearful staring until she realized that pieces of fur were beginning to fall off. Underneath was tanned skin, the tissue appearing to be burned.

Levy reloaded the gun, firing a second time. This bullet hit the creature square in the forehead as it raced towards the car, and it fell back into the snow, blood pooling around it. It did not move again.

Before Lucy's eyes, it began to rot. The fur fell off and turned into ash, the smell of sulfur poisoning the air. What remained was a man. Bullet wounds marred his skin, white ash scattered around them. He too began to turn, black ash exploding on the snow, and he was gone.

"Drive," Levy ordered, rolling the window up.

"Did you kill it?" Lucy asked.

"I would need to be a Shamen to kill it permanently, but it won't bother us again."

"Lev, that was close."

Levy sighed, shoving the now empty gun back into the glove compartment. "You're telling me."

Lucy looked out the window, leaning to try and glimpse where the skinwalker had fallen. "It seemed pretty dead to me."

"It isn't dead," Levy sighed, "It just escaped. I didn't use enough white ash to kill it. It knows not to bother us again, though."

Lucy slumped back into the seat, her head thunking against Natsu's shoulder. She shifted away from him, groping for her phone, but it was in his hands. He was playing that game like nothing unusual had happened. Lucy wondered whether he'd been playing it during the attack without batting an eye.

Was this normal for him? Lucy gulped, not wanting to think about what other creatures as terrifying as _that_ were waiting.

Waiting for her.

* * *

 _ **This took forever to update and I'm sorry. Have this, It's done. I need to update Hangman's Forest, too. I'm so swamped. Anyway, stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


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